


Every Day We Choose

by Small_Raven



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: AU, Borrowed dialogue starts in chapter 2, Brainwashing, Canon Dialogue, Episode: s04e08 The Dark Red Caper, Feel free to suggest tags I'm new at this, Fix-It, Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28959471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Raven/pseuds/Small_Raven
Summary: Season 4 finale spoilers ahead! You have been warned!I was somewhat disappointed with the finale. It had a lot of good elements but overall it felt too rushed, and I felt that for Carmen's darkest moment to really be her darkest, she shouldn't just be brainwashed or tricked into it. So I'm rewriting it.Carmen Sandiego, now a VILE faculty member, begins to suspect something is wrong when she discovers a secret beneath VILE HQ. She struggles to reconcile the different stories she's discovering with the story of her life as she knows it. But when the truth is revealed, she must race to undo her own scheming before it's too late.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 92





	1. Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark

**Author's Note:**

> For context, this fic starts just after the start of the finale: Brunt and Carmen have had their conversation where Brunt tells Carmen they never knew her mother, and Carmen has been told that Shadowsan killed Dexter Wolfe.

VILE CASTLE, SCOTLAND

Lightning flashed far out over the sea. Even miles away, safe behind stone and glass, Carmen thought she could almost smell the ozone. But maybe it was just the anger pounding inside her head.

_Shadowsan._ So he was the reason she never knew her parents? The reason the only family she’d ever known was VILE? It was one thing to run away like a coward, but to so openly turn against her and her friends— against _VILE itself_ —

A fresh wave of rage flooded her. It didn’t make any _sense_. But that didn’t matter. Whatever his reasons, Carmen knew that next time she came face-to-face with him, it would be the last time.

She took a breath to calm herself. _This isn’t productive. I should plot a caper, or take a walk at least_ . She looked away from the window. _I barely know my way around this place yet._

So, she set about exploring the hallways. Learning the ins and outs of VILE castle felt productive, and it calmed her. As she walked, she counted her steps, the doorways, and the windows. Perhaps she wouldn’t discover every secret of the castle that night, but she decided she would know them all before the next class of operatives came in— the first to be taught in VILE’s new home. She paced her way along the hallways through the stormy afternoon and into the evening, building up her mental map of the castle.

She turned a corner and found herself at a dead end. She walked the length of the hallway, then back. No, she was definitely counting correctly; this spur was far too short to make any sense in the floor plan. She smirked. Already she’d found her first secret, and she’d only just begun.

She walked slowly towards the dead end again, eyeing the walls for irregularities. But, the stonework looked just as even as anywhere else. She felt around the corners and examined the ceiling, but found nothing. Only when she took a closer look at the carpeting did she notice something out of place.

“A- _ha,_ ” she muttered, and crouched down in the right-hand corner of the dead end. She looked closely at the end of the green-and-black patterned carpet; it wasn’t quite flush with the wall, just a little out of alignment. If she wasn’t mistaken, she’d located a secret door.

She stood back up, and more closely examined the stones in the wall that were at around the height of her waist. She spotted one where the mortar around it was heavily cracked; it looked like it should have slid loose long ago. She pushed it inward, experimentally. She felt a mechanism click into place; then the wall split open and swung toward her, with a grinding noise that was much quieter than it ought to have been.

_That’s VILE engineering, alright,_ she thought to herself with a fresh smirk. Behind where the false wall had been, she could now see partway down a dark staircase, just until it twisted off to the right. Though there were no lights in the stairway, she could see a dim glow creeping up from somewhere below.

Carmen stepped onto the top stair. There was no way she _wasn’t_ going down there. She felt a little giddy, a little childish; it was hard not to flash back fondly to her pranks on the Cleaners and the older students when she was younger. She spotted a button on the wall and pressed it; the doorway ground softly closed behind her. Nobody would know she had found this place.

Without the light from the hallway, the stairwell was almost pitch dark. Carmen pulled out her pen light, and silently descended. She soon reached a wide, dimly lit hallway, stretching away from the main castle. The walls were stone here too, but the bricks looked more even, and more modern— perfectly even, machine-cut. But it wasn’t just a hallway; several iron-barred cells were built into the right-hand wall.

“Oh,” Carmen breathed. She had found a sort of dungeon. Her heart was pounding with excitement, and her mind was whirling. This place was much newer than the main castle, and more importantly, it was lit up. So, somebody in VILE was using this place in secret. They might even have built it specially. Why? What was down here?

“Who’s that?” came an unexpected voice. Carmen froze; she now realized that one of the cells was lit from within. She watched a shadowed figure inside move up against the bars; she could see the glow from her pen-light reflected twice in a pair of round glasses.

Carmen tucked her light away and walked toward the cell. “I should be asking that of _you._ ” Her voice was even and cool, disguising her confusion and uncertainty. What in the world was going on, right under VILE’s home base?

The strange man let out a sudden hiss when she passed under a dim lamp. “ _You._ Come to gloat? Bringing in the gendarme?” he demanded. He spoke with a crisp RP British accent, and he had an ugly snarl on his face. Carmen lifted an eyebrow as she took in more of the man’s appearance.

He was pale-skinned, and wore a western-style suit, which might once have looked very dapper, but was now wrinkled and stained. His black hair, touched with gray, was still combed neatly, and his face was still shaved, but there were lines under his eyes and hairs straying over his forehead. It was obvious he came from money, but had been imprisoned for a while.

“Who even are you?” Carmen asked, crossing her arms and staring at him. 

The man snorted. “Oh, very amusing. I may have lost my status, but don’t pretend you don’t know who I am. I had you dead to rights, and you ruined me. _Well done._ No need to rub salt in the wound.”

Carmen tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. As she listened to this man, trying to understand what he was talking about, a strange chill started to come over her. Something about him was so… _annoying._ His voice was like a needle in her ears.

He stood straight, his chin raised. “So. What do you want?”

Without warning, Carmen lunged. She grabbed the stranger by the lapels and yanked him into the bars of the door. “I want you to _stop talking_ ,” she said, very quietly, her face just an inch from his. “Listen closely. I don’t know who you are, or what you’re talking about. But I _do_ know how to pick locks, and I know where the pressure points on your body are. So you can either tell me what I want to know, or I can _make_ you. Understand?”

The prisoner’s eyes were wide, his breathing quick and panicked. He nodded quickly. “Mhmm, yes, of course, whatever you want,” he said in a quavering voice. Carmen let him go. He staggered backward, away from the door, and stared at her.

“So. Who are you,” Carmen repeated, re-crossing her arms and scowling at the strange man.

“Y-you really don’t know,” the man said. He still had his hands held protectively in front of him. Carmen’s glare deepened, and she took half a step back toward the door. He flinched. “Nonono wait— I’ll tell you.” He straightened up a little and smoothed down the lapels of his blazer with shaky hands. He took a deep breath, and began to explain.

“I am... Nigel Braithwaite. But my codename is ‘Roundabout’. I _was_ a double agent, posing as deputy director of MI6, until…” suddenly Roundabout paused, still eyeing Carmen. She could almost see the gears turning in his head. “Until I was captured.”

Carmen smirked. “I’m surprised Bellum didn’t erase your memories,” she commented. “How’d you wriggle out of that one?”

Roundabout seemed to hesitate. “I suppose because I would be recognized, regardless of whether I knew anything about my old life or not,” he said slowly. “London is the most surveilled city in the world, they say.”

Carmen nodded. “I’ve heard that,” she mused, though she couldn’t exactly recall when. “So. How come you’re in a secret dungeon, that not even all the VILE faculty know about? Who knows about this place? And why are they keeping you alive?”

Roundabout was silent for a long moment; he squinted intently at Carmen’s face. “ _You’re_ … VILE faculty now, aren’t you?” he asked shrewdly.

Carmen’s expression dropped to a scowl again. “Yes, I am, now that that traitor Shadowsan is gone.”

Roundabout smiled weakly. “You’re VILE faculty, and you don’t know who I am. Oh yes. Naturally.” He started to chuckle helplessly. “Of course! Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear.”

Carmen stepped closer to the bars. “Oh, is something _funny_ to you?” she said in a low, dangerous voice. “Care to let _me_ in on the joke?” Roundabout quickly stopped laughing, though there was still an almost mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.

“Well— I only wonder how much I _should_ tell you,” he said. He paused to think, and seemed to change his mind. “But, I suppose, I don’t have any reason not to tell you everything, anymore.” 

Carmen waited, arms crossed. “Well?”

He cleared his throat. “I’ll wager they didn’t tell you that _I_ was VILE faculty until a few months ago, did they. No. No, they certainly did not.” He laughed dryly at the puzzled and angry look on Carmen’s face.

“What,” was all she could think to say.

“Yes. I held the fifth seat for a time after Shadowsan left, until _you_ brought me down.” He sounded almost superior about it.

Carmen placed her hands on the iron bars, and leaned in towards him. Icy rage gripped her chest. “ _You’re lying to me,_ ” she said in a deadly whisper. 

“I-I assure you, I am not,” Roundabout stammered, backing up to the far wall of the cell. “You can check my story in the news— or VILE’s records, perhaps—“

But Carmen was already stalking away in disgust. She rubbed at her temples. _There’s no way any of that could be true. It’s total nonsense. It’s completely absurd_. Just thinking about it felt deeply wrong, somehow. Like one violin in an orchestra was playing a step out of tune.

“Do you have other questions? Anything you want to know—” Roundabout called after her, but she thoroughly ignored him. She needed a new distraction, this had been a total bust. Something that had nothing to do with Shadowsan, or this secret dungeon, or this annoying _Roundabout_ person. Roundabout. That codename screamed deception and trickery. Especially if he was telling the truth about having worked for MI6.

Carmen slipped out of the secret passageway unnoticed, and returned to her living quarters. She hadn’t finished setting them up exactly to her liking yet, but at least there was a dark green punching bag waiting for her. She took out her anger on that for a while. In a way, it was meditative; she could think her angry thoughts, and use the workout to vent her feelings. By the time she’d tired herself out, she had come to three conclusions.

First: someone in VILE _was_ keeping that dungeon a secret. None of the other faculty had even made _reference_ to a dungeon, or a prisoner, that she could recall. Odds were good the dungeon had been put in very recently, too.

Second: whoever was keeping the dungeon secret was also keeping _Roundabout_ secret. And Roundabout, whoever he really was, clearly had no motivation to stay loyal to VILE. But Carmen couldn’t trust that he was being truthful with her, either; his story was completely nonsensical.

Third: she needed to take a painkiller for the headache she had coming on.

She didn’t know if Roundabout was meant to be a general secret, or if he was only supposed to be secret from _her._ That was what he had implied, wasn’t it? That she had at some point fought against VILE, or at least him, but didn’t remember? But surely, if she’d lost memories, she would notice blank stretches in her mind, and there were none.

Carmen sat down, rubbing at her temples again. If this all was supposed to be a secret from _her,_ then it wouldn’t be a good idea to go snooping just yet, she decided. If the secret-keeper had an eye on her, investigating right away could be hazardous. The best thing she could do was try to sleep on it, and plan in the morning, when the headache had passed.

* * *

It was three in the morning, and Carmen was still wide awake, staring up at the ceiling. 

She felt sick. Someone in her family was keeping secrets. _Again_. It wasn’t even out of the realm of possibility that someone was turning traitor against VILE. Were they all in on it, the whole faculty? How much of what any of them said was even true?

Her tired mind wandered in circles. Roundabout. Shadowsan. A new traitor? VILE. Family. Her mother… had Coach Brunt told her the truth? How could VILE have no way to find out who her mother was?

She sat up in bed. Of course, that would be the first test. If Brunt was keeping secrets from her, she would be totally against looking for her mother. But if Brunt helped her, they could find Carmen’s mother, learn about Dexter Wolfe, and maybe find clues about who _was_ keeping secrets from VILE, and why.

It was a long shot, but it was somewhere to start.


	2. Tests and Traps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Reykjavik section is almost entirely lifted from the show, I just wrote down what happened with a little interpretation.

VILE CASTLE, SCOTLAND

Carmen slept badly. Green lightning arced in her dream, exploding into green and red fireworks. Her hand reached out to unlatch a window into an office; the glint of a firework in the glass transformed into the reflection off of a pair of round spectacles. A bright, _angry_ smile widened underneath them. She tumbled backwards, falling away from the old yellow building. She plummeted like a stone for much longer than she should have— she turned over and opened her glider— there was another explosion of bright red light—

Her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright, sweating and panting. The world swayed around her; then she registered the ache in her head. She closed her eyes, her hands gripping the covers to steady herself, until the wave of pain subsided.

She needed to focus. Something was wrong inside of VILE, and if she didn’t figure out what was up, the entire organization could be put at risk. She _had_ a plan; it was time to put it into action.

Concentrating on the task at hand, rather than her myriad questions, cleared the last of the fog from her head. The first step was to talk to Coach Brunt, alone, which was easier said than done. The better part of the day sped by, and between Brunt’s schedule and her own, Carmen couldn’t find her opening. Capers took a great deal of research and close managing, it turned out, particularly for the faculty.

But as Carmen was doing a late-afternoon workout, in the half-built training gym, her opportunity walked right in. Coach Brunt smiled at Carmen as she passed, heading for the treadmill. “Good form, keep it up,” she said, by way of greeting.

“Just doing it how you taught me,” Carmen responded. She wrapped up her set quickly and put away the weights she’d been curling. Her timing was good; Brunt was still stretching. “Coach, I— I did want to talk to you about something,” she said. She let herself sound a little nervous, but kept it light and natural.

“Oh? Is somethin’ wrong?” Brunt asked, not looking up from her stretching routine.

“Not wrong, no, but I’ve been thinking…” Carmen took a deep breath. “I want to try to find my mother.”

That brought Coach Brunt to a stop. She stood and looked at Carmen with some concern. “I thought you said none of that mattered to you,” she said. “She ain’t your family. If she’s even still alive.”

Carmen bit her lip. Her eyes were downcast, her face ashamed. _Not_ too _desperate,_ she told herself. “I know. I… I don’t want to let you down.” She looked up at Brunt, searching the face of the woman who’d raised her. “But I don’t know anything about my past, my heritage. Everyone else here, they have a home country, a place they can be proud of, and I… I feel like I’m from nowhere.” Her gaze fell back to the floor.

“Oh, little lambkins, course you wanna know where ya come from,” Brunt said gently. She laid one of her hands on Carmen’s shoulder, and Carmen leaned into it just a hair, comforted. “But how would we even start to find her?”

Carmen smiled slightly. “I had an idea for that, actually. You knew my father was up to something because his financial records didn’t make sense, right? Well, he _must_ have given my mother some of that money— or even just gone to visit her, using it. There must be a paper trail leading back to her, somewhere, that we could follow…” Her voice trailed off; there was an odd ache in her heart. She put her hand over her chest and took a quiet, calming breath. “Everyone leaves a trace,” she added. _Have I said that before…?_

“Well that there’s a very smart idea,” Brunt responded, “but this is clearly upsettin’ you. Why don’t I ask Cookie Booker to look into it for ya? She’s real clever with paper trails. I bet if there’s somethin’ to find, she’ll ferret it out.”

Carmen smiled up at Coach Brunt and nodded. “Thank you,” she said.

Brunt opened up her arms. “C’mere. You look like you could use it.”

Hidden inside Brunt’s hug, Carmen’s face fell. _Can I really trust that Cookie will really tell me everything? Or_ you? she wondered. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was starting to return.

_No,_ she pushed back. If Brunt didn’t want to help, if she had secrets to keep, she would have stopped Carmen outright. She was always straightforward like that. _I’ll tell her everything— once I know a bit more of what’s going on._   
  


BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

Shadowsan tucked the tiniest piece of the matryoshka doll into his pocket, and looked out over the rooftops of the city. While he was alone, his normally stony face betrayed some of the worry that was knotted in his chest.

If Carmen could look her closest friends in the eye and still try to kill them, then she must need something that had been a part of her life even _longer_ to jog her memories. Even if it didn’t bring her back, maybe it could stop her, just enough to capture or talk to her.

Still, his heart felt like lead. Even though it was for Carmen’s own good, stealing from her biological mother felt _wrong_. Especially since the woman still had those photos of “the Wolf” on display, even twenty years later. 

Shadosan shook his head, dismissing those thoughts. If all went well, Carmen would bring the piece back _herself_ soon enough.

…If all went well.

He took a quiet, calming breath. He was doing his best by her; he _would_ get her back, or die trying.

  
  


REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

“That was certainly a bold way for you to get my attention, Mr. Calloway.” The hologram of Tamara Fraser, Chief of ACME, looked down her nose at Graham “Gray” Calloway, handcuffed to a chair. This slippery thief who had escaped from custody twice, beaten the best lie detector in the world, was now throwing himself at her feet. _Why?_ “What’s on your mind?”

Gray hesitated. “I want to help you capture Carmen Sandiego.” Despite his hesitation, his voice was firm, cool, confident.

“Your partner in crime?” Chief couldn’t help but look skeptical.

“She isn’t what she appears to be,” Gray insisted. “VILE rewired Carmen’s brain, like they once did to mine. Erased all her recent memories, manipulated her emotions to make her become everything she normally stands against.” 

Despite her suspicions, Chief couldn’t help thinking that if this were true, it would explain a great deal of the last six months. Still, she couldn’t take Gray’s words at face value.

“So, you’re telling me Sandiego’s some sort of good guy gone bad?” she asked, turning away and watching the electrician out of the corner of her eye.

“And you guys have the only means of bringing her back, with that experimental brain gizmo. The one that restored my memory.”

_He sounds earnest,_ Chief considered, _but that doesn’t mean much._ “The two of you have been on quite a crime spree,” she prodded. “Why the change of heart now?”

Gray’s gaze was steady. “Look, it was fun while it lasted. But I chose a life of crime, of my own free will. Carmen didn’t. And word is, she’s intending to do something she’ll never be able to undo, to someone she no longer remembers she deeply cares for.”

The words hit home. Chief’s face softened slightly. The guilt she carried for killing Dexter Wolfe all those years ago was still heavy. She wouldn’t wish it on anyone. And _particularly_ not in Carmen’s circumstances. 

Chief paused to collect herself. _Think it through, Tamara_. “Why not just tell me where to find VILE?” she asked. “I’ll send in my forces, boom, and done.”

“The new location’s only known by a select few, and I’m not one of them,” Gray explained. “We need to draw Carmen out. We’re running out of time.”

Chief turned away from the captive VILE operative. “And what do you want out of this, Calloway? A pardon?” she asked over her shoulder.

“I just want Carmen back in charge of her own destiny. No strings attached.” His voice was still steady, earnest. Was he for real, or was this rehearsed? “You can lock me up,” he added.

“You’ve already skipped jail twice on our watch,” Chief scoffed. She looked at the agent at Gray’s left shoulder, and nodded. The agent pulled out a small device, put it to Calloway’s shoulder, and pushed a button. With a small whirr, it fired something through Gray’s jacket and into his skin.

He yelped. “Did you just chip me?”

Chief turned her back to Gray again. “I’m throwing you back, Calloway. We’ll be tracking your movements.”

“You don’t understand,” Gray shot back. _Now_ he sounded really earnest. “Carmen’s part of VILE’s upper management now. By the time I see her in the field, it could be too late.” As he spoke, the other agent released his handcuffs. He rubbed at his wrists. “We need to bait her.”

Sensing that he already had a plan— whether real, or a trap— Chief turned to look at him. “What do you have in mind?”

  
  


VILE CASTLE, SCOTLAND: ONE WEEK LATER

Blood pounded in Carmen’s ears. This would be _her_ caper. She would show Shadowsan that no traitor could match the might of VILE. And if she saw his family-betraying face again…

She was in her quarters, checking her tools before she left. No fault in any of them. Of course, it had occurred to her that this specific treasure could be well guarded. This whole thing could be a trap, set by Shadowsan to draw her out and bring her down, just as he had brought down her father. Well, if it was a trap, she would be _ready._ She already had the perfect counter-plan.

In the middle of her cold fury, something still niggled at the back of her mind. The Eye of Vishnu… she hadn’t heard of it before, but it still felt oddly familiar. She wasn’t sure she liked that. She was certain she’d never seen it before, but she was having that strange sensation of deja vu again. The Eye of Vishnu in Casablanca, Morocco. Was there… more than one of them?

_Well, that would make sense,_ she thought as she folded up a spare coat. _Vishnu has two eyes. The other one is probably out there somewhere else. Could be anywhere. France, for all I know._

She felt a sudden stabbing pain in the back of her head. The coat slipped from her fingers; she shut her eyes and gritted her teeth against the ache. 

She’d been having these headaches on and off all week. She’d been dreaming of green and red fireworks more often, too. She hadn’t gone to visit Roundabout again— just the thought of his stupid smarmy face ticked her off. It didn’t help that in her dreams, she still saw his triumphant smile, and those ugly round glasses. And every morning after she’d had one of those unsettling night visions, she’d woken up angry, and with a worse headache than the day before. She just wanted it to go _away_. 

“I need to get moving and stop grinding my teeth,” she muttered aloud.

There was a knock on the open door. Carmen looked up to see Brunt looking in. “Are you alright, lambkins? You feeling sick?” she asked worriedly.

_It’s Carmen now,_ she thought instinctively, but she pushed the thought back. It was just Brunt, after all. The only _real_ parental figure she’d ever known. 

“I’m alright, Coach. I’m just itching to be there already, you know?” She smirked a little. This caper was going to be _fun._

Brunt smiled indulgently, though Carmen could still read concern on her face. “Of course. You just let Mama Bear know when you come back, alright? I might have a surprise for ya.”

Carmen was too distracted with thoughts of Shadowsan to think about what Brunt might mean. “I will,” she said offhandedly. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Brunt’s smile widened. “I’m so proud of you. Alright, I’ll get outta your way,” she said, and left.

Minutes later, Carmen departed the castle with just a small backpack and her glider in tow. Once inside the waiting helicopter, she called up Tigress. 

“Kitty Cat. I have a job for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to my beta readers, thank you so much for your help!!


	3. Breaking Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay. Chapter 4 will be posted much more promptly.
> 
> Portions of dialogue from this chapter are borrowed, but it’s less clearly delineated than last chapter. It’s mostly in the first half. Additionally some actions are borrowed.

Carmen stood atop the roof of the museum, staring out at the lights of Casablanca. Somehow, she felt… calm. Even happy.  _ Giddy. _ On a pure whim, she turned around and took a selfie. The phone played the sound of a shutter closing. She giggled a little as she looked at the photo. Then, distantly, she heard Gray’s voice in her earpiece.

“..we electricians don’t like to be kept in the dark, you know,” he was saying. She felt herself snap back into focus.  _ Mission first, sightsee later. _

She rubbed the back of her head as she looked around. In the distance, she heard shouts, and spotted a flash of red between two buildings. She sneered at the dark figures that followed it.

“Hip to my game yet, Gray?” she asked. He was clever, he should have been able to figure it out.

“What?” came the response. Okay, maybe he couldn’t see that well in the dark.

“Spotted some bluecoats. So, I threw a decoy into the mix.” She slipped into the museum through a window and walked down a darkened hallway. “You should’ve seen Tigress’s face when I  _ suggested _ that she slip into the hat and coat.” Carmen chuckled. “I thought she was gonna hawk a hairball.”

“Oh, I’m sure she just  _ loves _ taking orders from her old bestie.” Gray’s voice was slightly distorted by the radio signal. 

“Gotta go bag a gem. Later.” Carmen turned off her comm-link earring. No need for any unnecessary conversations distracting her, not when Shadowsan was probably close behind those bluecoats, and she was already dealing with these intermittent headaches.

_ There. _ There it was. The massive gemstone, atop a pedestal, protected by nothing more than a glass case. Even Carmen had to admit, up close, it was something special; not as special as taking down Shadowsan would be, but she could see the appeal.

She rested her hand on the case, relishing the anticipation. It felt good to be out in the field; maybe she should take more capers herself, in future.

“Carmen Sandiego!”  _ French accent. Baritone.  _ Carmen turned to look at the people interrupting her. Yes, that one on the left was the speaker, no doubt; tall, with messy brown hair, and a stance more confident than strong.

“Please, step away from the gem,” his partner said.  _ English accent. Treble.  _ She was short, with short and neat black hair, and a slightly better stance, but she looked and sounded too nervous to take seriously. 

“Or…? You will…?” Carmen asked. A distracting ache started to build behind her ears. Did she  _ have _ to deal with these jokers?

The bluecoats looked at each other nervously. Carmen rolled her eyes.  _ At least put in some effort, come on, _ she thought. She rested her left hand on the case. She knew she should take these two out, and quickly, but some part of her was… curious. The French one had known her codename, which was unusual in and of itself. If she had the chance, it was probably worth investigating.

“Are you going to do something, or just stand there? It would be a lot easier on everyone if you did.” Carmen asked the silent agents. She started to tilt back the glass case that housed the Eye.

“Miss Sandiego, stop,” the woman said, more firmly this time. She and her partner started walking across the floor, closing the gap between them.

Carmen smiled slightly. “So you both know my name,” she said softly. “I didn’t realize I was so famous.”

“Of course we know your name. We have spent years chasing after you.” The French agent sounded almost proud of himself. “La femme rouge! The scarlet super-thief, who only steals from other thieves!”

_ La femme rouge! _ The epithet rang in Carmen’s ears, followed by a wave of pain— then anger.  _ This is a distraction. I need to focus on the mission, _ she scolded herself.  _ The enemy are closing in. Act now! _

The agents had indeed, very slowly and cautiously, halved the distance between them and her. If she let them keep going, she would end up in handcuffs. The image of Roundabout behind bars flashed across her mind.

Carmen pushed the glass case over, and it fell on the ground behind the pedestal and shattered. In the same motion, she scooped up the Eye of Vishnu and tucked it into an inside coat pocket, eyes trained on the agents.

It was the Frenchman who charged in first. She dodged his reaching hand, grabbed his arm, and threw him over her outstretched leg. He skidded away across the smooth tiles.

Carmen felt focused now. Her head felt clear, no more ache. There was only fury and the fight. She heard a hiss behind her. She held her breath as she turned smoothly and kicked the weapon out of the English woman’s hands. To the agent’s credit, she dodged Carmen’s next kick, but she seemed completely unwilling to throw a blow of her own. So, Carmen shoved her into the wall and yanked a tapestry down over her, tangling her in the thick, heavy cloth.  _ That should keep her out of the way long enough, _ she thought, and she turned toward the exit.

“Au revoir,” she said with a smirk. But before she could take more than a step, she felt a boot collide with the middle of her back. She skidded forward, but caught herself on one of the massive stone pillars. Evidently, the French agent had regained his feet, quicker than she’d expected. 

She twisted around and blocked his next blow on her forearms, then grabbed his shoulders and brought her knee up into his stomach. He reeled back; she shoved him to the ground. “Who hired you clowns?” she snorted. “Maybe next time you’ll think better of—” 

Her legs suddenly buckled out from underneath her. The Frenchman had swept her knees out from behind!  _ Why won’t they just stay down? _ she thought as she fell. She landed as she’d been trained, spreading out her weight and protecting her head.

“Be careful not to harm her!” Carmen heard the other one yell.  _ She must’ve detangled herself from the tapestry— crud. Plan B. _ Carmen wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea of taking down two police— or agents, or whatever— before also facing Shadowsan, but so be it.

She stood slowly. Her headache was returning— but when she focused her anger back on the agents, the world seemed to snap back into focus. “So, you wanna play rough?” she said in a deadly growl.

“Uhh… no?” The Frenchman was backing away.  _ Too late for that now, _ Carmen thought. But just as she took her first step toward him, his partner tackled her to the floor.

“Get  _ off!” _ Carmen grunted, shoving her away. She looked up and saw the male agent, leaping toward her; she rolled out of the way just in time, and he hit the ground, hard.

She was on her feet in a second, and as he tried to get up, she kicked him, hard, in the face. He would stay down if he knew what was good for him.

“Don’t you remember me? I’m your  _ friend, _ Jules!” The black-haired woman sounded desperate. Carmen’s eyes suddenly began to unfocus; she put a hand to her temple, fighting back the sudden return of her headache.

“I have… the only jewels I need… in my pocket…” she forced out through gritted teeth. She refused to lose her composure— she had to stay focused, stay  _ angry, _ keep the weird thoughts at bay—

“We met on a train in India,” this… Jules… insisted. “Then you asked me to help you in Milan. You brought me onstage at fashion week, to protect the Medici gowns.”

“...No, we didn’t—  _ I _ didn’t do any of that,” Carmen snarled.  _ I don’t know what you’re talking about, _ she insisted to herself. She refused to admit that something sounded… familiar. No. It was much easier to just be angry. She started to move toward Jules.  _ I’ll just take her down, I can figure all this out when I’m home. _

“Please— you have to listen to me—” Jules insisted, backing away from Carmen. Her eyes flicked around the room. Was she looking for an exit? It didn’t matter.

“I don’t  _ have _ to do anything,” Carmen said dangerously. “I’m a thief. I do what I want.”

“I  _ know _ this isn’t what you wanted to be doing with your life,” Jules said firmly. There was a glint in her eye— Carmen suddenly realized that for the first time she’d seen, Jules looked  _ determined. _ “I’m sorry about this!” she added quickly.

Carmen heard running feet behind her. Before she could react, Julia lunged forward and shoved her backward. Something like a crown was suddenly jammed over Carmen’s head and held there.

Burning rage and adrenaline flooded Carmen’s body. She grabbed the person holding her from behind by their wrists, and picked her feet off the floor, effectively putting all her weight on the mysterious third person. She kicked Jules back; when she did, she felt the unknown assailant grunt and stagger. They were off-balance! She took the opportunity, twisted out of their grip and staggered away. Then she saw who it was she’d been fighting.

“Gray?” The name slipped from her lips before she could stop herself. She could hear whirring in her ears as the device began to power up.

All at once, immense pain overwhelmed her— calling it the headache to end all headaches would feel like a woeful understatement. Dreamlike images filled her mind— of Gray, of Jules, other faces she didn’t even have time to process— the pressure was only building—  _ No! _ A voice in her head cut through the noise.  _ Quick! _

She ripped the device from her head. It clattered to the ground beside her. She was on her knees. When had she fallen to her knees? How long had it been?

“Did it work?” That was Gray’s voice. “Do you remember?”

Carmen let her long hair cover her face. She realized she was kneeling over the shattered remains of the glass case she had knocked over. Tiny fragments of herself, caught between the spiderweb cracks, stared back at her. Even with the device off her head, there were still— afterimages— emotions— unwelcome ideas, running through her head.

“Carmen?” Gray’s voice was insistent. She could hear him walking closer to her. Something sparked in her mind.  _ A train compartment— a conversation— he’d attacked her, and she’d fought back. _

Carmen leaned forward on one hand. Her head was still pounding. She tucked one hand inside her jacket, feeling for something, as she fought to steady herself, despite the fear that now coursed through her.  _ Enemies around. Can’t get lost in thought— _

She saw Crackle’s sneakers stop just inside her field of vision, and felt a light touch on her shoulder— then she lunged upward, her small taser landing directly on Gray’s belly. “ _ You betrayed me, _ ” she snarled. “ _ Twice _ . I don’t know who you’re working for— why you’re messing with my head— but  _ no more! _ ” She released the taser trigger, and he collapsed. “No more,” she mumbled.

_ Why did I do that? _ she wondered vaguely.

_ He betrayed me, _ came her own, angry reply.  _ He betrayed family. You  _ never _ betray family. _

Carmen swayed on her feet; she could feel herself shaking, just a little. Whatever the device had done, it had taken a lot out of her. She needed a proper weapon— she wouldn’t let anyone else be sneaking up on her tonight, especially not when she was so badly off her game. She spotted Gray’s crackle rod, and pulled it from his limp hand. Then she backed herself into a wall, and took stock of the situation.

Nobody else had arrived. Close in front of her, there was Gray, and the weird white device he’d tried to use on her. On the other side of the cracked case, the Frenchman lay unconscious. And between Carmen and the door, there was still…

“Jules, right?” Carmen asked guardedly. The question echoed in her mind. Milan. She could picture it— Jules, in a red hat and that suit, nervously walking along beside her.  _ Jules is in charge,  _ she could hear herself asserting. A thought, or a memory? “Short for… Julia.”

Jules nodded. “Um. Will he be alright?” She pointed at Gray.

Carmen glanced at her former classmate. “He’s... stunned,” she said. She shook her head; her thoughts were coming too fast to process. Everything in here was reminding her of something, something in a life that didn’t feel like hers. Cascading memories competed for space in her mind.

“Are  _ you _ … alright?” Julia asked after a moment’s hesitation.

The lights in here were getting painfully bright; Carmen put a hand over her eyes. Wasn’t Jules her enemy…? Was Gray?  _ I need— I need to stay calm and think.  _ She took slow breaths, trying to calm herself against her erratic thoughts.  _ Is it a conspiracy? These bluecoats, and Gray, maybe even Shadowsan— how do I know they’re not all working together? _

“Miss Sandiego?”

“You told your partner not to hurt me,” Carmen said slowly. She lowered her hand and looked at Julia. “Why do you care?”

Julia bit her lip. “Because… because you’ve helped so many people, so many times— it just wouldn’t seem right—”

“That’s not what I meant.” Carmen sighed and looked around, searching for the words. “You— you said we’ve met before. I don’t— I don’t remember much, but I remember stealing something with you. Why would you help me? How are we… friends? You’re  _ law enforcement. _ ” She couldn’t help the note of disdain in her tone when she said those two words.

“Well, that’s easy,” Julia said, much to Carmen’s surprise. “It’s been clear to me for a long time that you never stole for your own gain. You stole from other thieves. From VILE.”

Carmen stared at the opposite wall. “That makes no sense…” she muttered aloud. She didn’t  _ want _ it to make sense.

“It was not easy to persuade my colleagues,” Julia said, glancing at her partner’s limp form, “but the evidence simply mounted too high. You returned stolen items to us too many times to ignore.”

Carmen followed Julia’s gaze.  _ Jules would understand. _ She remembered saying it— and— and leaving a box of treasures behind? Why would she do that?

Her eyes tracked to Crackle’s unconscious form. “We fought,” she thought aloud. “On a train…” Had that been the first time?

She shut her eyes tight, for the first time,  _ trying _ to remember. Wanting to know. She could picture a blast of green lightning— her arm connecting with Gray’s, redirecting the attack, saving herself— or someone else? Had it been on a train, or some other time and place? She felt as if she were seeing double. How many times had she fought with Gray?

_ I could trust Jules, but— _ echoed a distant memory. Then another:  _ Trust you, huh? _

Carmen could hear distant footsteps, running in their direction. Her eyes snapped back open. In a moment, she was off the wall, crackle rod held at the ready, adrenaline already coursing through her. “Did you call for backup?” she demanded.

“What? No—” Julia held her hands up in front of her, a silent plea to wait— “but two of ours were led off by somebody dressed as you, earlier, so it must just be them. If you just—”

But Carmen was already running for the exit.  _ I am not getting arrested tonight! No more nonsense, no more distractions! _ She flicked out her grappling hook, zipped to the window she’d used to enter in the first place, and slid through onto the roof. She launched herself over the edge. Her glider sprang out behind her, catching her fall and carrying her away over the reflecting pools.

She shivered as she flew through the brisk night air. Visions of snow and trees flickered in her head. Was any of it real? The fragments of her memories clashed and conflicted. Julia, her friend. Julia, leading her into a trap. Gray, betraying her to VILE. Gray, betraying VILE. Nothing made sense, none of it added up.

_ Roundabout’s story adds up, _ a tiny, contrarian voice in the back of her mind insisted.  _ If you fought against VILE, of course you would take him down. _ She ignored it; there was too much else going on. She needed time alone, to put together the fragments, and rest. Her headache was returning with a vengeance.

Carmen landed gracefully at the far end of the reflecting pools. Her muscles ached from the fight; she could already feel the bruises forming on her back and arms. She needed a moment to recuperate. Maybe take a painkiller or three.

A flicker of motion in the corner of her eye. She looked up, suddenly wary again. 

There, waiting for her, was Shadowsan. 

When she saw him, she felt a new rush of anger, overtaking all other considerations. The pain in her body, the strange thoughts, the conflicting memories, were suddenly much easier to push away.

Here was her enemy. This was her mission. She would not fail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter that will closely mirror the events of the finale. After this point, it's gonna get different.
> 
> Chapter 4


	4. Shadow and Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN: Once again I’m borrowing dialogue, but only a line or two. From here on out, nothing else should be borrowed.  
> Also, this is a longer chapter.

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO

Carmen could feel her heart pounding in her head.  _ Pretty sure that’s not normal, _ part of her worried, but she ignored it. She needed her cold focus, her certainty of who was friend and who was enemy, if she wanted to win this fight.

She slipped a hand inside her coat and pulled out the Eye of Vishnu. “Here for this?” she asked with a slight sneer.

“No.” Shadowsan’s voice was soft and sad.

“That makes two of us,” Carmen said, her smile widening. She tucked the gem back into her coat, then lunged forward.

Shadowsan didn’t even raise an arm to defend himself; he only stepped out of the way, nimbly dodging each of her blows. The smile dropped from Carmen’s face; every move she made was frustratingly slow. Her sore muscles groaned, her fresh bruises pulsed; even charged up on adrenaline and fury, she felt sluggish.

“Fight back, old man!” She gasped out the demand, stepping back and giving herself a moment to breathe.

“I do not wish to harm you,” Shadowsan said in that same, somber tone. He hadn’t even broken a sweat.

Carmen groaned internally. “Let me  _ guess, _ ” she said sarcastically. “You  _ just want to talk, _ right? Or jam something else on my head to mess with my brain?”

Shadowsan paused; if Carmen didn’t know better, she would say he looked surprised at her words. She ignored it and barrelled onward.

“Well, sorry. But I’m not going anywhere with you or any other bluecoats tonight. I’m done being lied to.” She started backing away.

“Carmen— please, allow me to speak.” Shadowsan reached out toward her, moving to close the gap she had created.

“ _ Stop, _ ” she said. In the blink of an eye, the crackle rod she’d taken from Gray was in her hand and leveled at Shadowsan. 

He stopped. “Please, just allow me to show you one thing,” the old ninja said.

Carmen didn’t know why, but she waited. This wasn’t at all the encounter she’d expected with her arch-nemesis. Nobody she’d encountered that night had behaved in ways that made sense— but at least, for the most part, they hadn’t been trying to hurt her. If nothing else, hearing the ninja out would give her a moment to catch her breath before her escape.

Shadowsan slowly reached into his coat and brought out a tiny piece of painted wood. It resembled a baby, swaddled in red cloth.

“Is that… from my Matryoshka doll?” Carmen asked slowly.

A puzzle piece fell into place. Carmen gripped her forehead and swayed; for a long moment, it was all she could do to keep the crackle rod in between herself and Shadowsan.  _ I stole the matryoshka doll from Cleo’s apartment in Poitiers— I ran from Chase Devineaux to the train, where Crackle came and tried to bring me back to VILE. I left Crackle behind for Devineaux when we reached Paris. He chose his side— _

For the first time, she remembered a whole story. No headache, no pain— just a single memory.

“You remember it?” Shadowsan asked, holding it out to her. He’d come closer while she’d been distracted by the memory. What was that expression on his face? Pity? Hope? 

She gripped her weapon in both hands, holding him just out of arm’s reach. Her eyes were wide, and her breathing was shallow. She looked from the doll to Shadowsan and back. 

Then a shout came from down the plaza, from the museum entrance; Carmen glanced over. Julia was running towards them, with a couple unfamiliar bluecoats behind. She was out of time.

She rushed Shadowsan, who did not dodge in time. With one arm, she shoved him backwards, into one of the long reflecting pools; with the other, she palmed the tiny doll. Then, without looking back, Carmen ran.

* * *

Chase turned the crown-like device over in his hands. “Thank goodness it is not broken,” he said with a sigh. “I do not know how we would ever get the Crimson Ghost back without it.”

His words earned a small smile from Julia. The agents— Chase, Julia, Zari, Hawkins, and Crawford— stood around the hologram of their Chief, and the inert body of Shadowsan.

“Focus, Devineaux. Are you sure this is the man?” The bluelit woman looked stern.

“Yes Chief,” he replied automatically. “I would know him anywhere.”

“Agent Zari and I once saw him having coffee with Carmen Sandiego. That is— I mean, before she was…” Julia trailed off.

“He did take down several agents when he was captured before, though,” Zari pointed out. “We shouldn’t let our guard down. We don’t know his story.”

“Not to mention, he stole the file on Sandiego’s mother,” Chief added. “We need him talking.”

“Chief,” Julia interjected, “Carmen Sandiego can’t have gone far just yet. Why don’t we split up— some of us try to find her, while the rest manage this man, and the VILE agent Zari and Hawkins brought down?”

Chief held up her hand. “Not a good idea. This man is exceptionally dangerous, and we don’t know what his motives are. However, I’ve alerted local police; they’re tasked with tracking Sandiego, and bringing her in alive if possible.”

Julia didn’t look completely satisfied with that answer, but nodded.

“He’s awake,” Crawford said suddenly. The agents and the hologram all looked down at their prisoner. 

“Welcome back,” Chief said with an arched eyebrow.

Julia crouched down next to him. “Are you feeling alright?” she asked a little cautiously.

Shadowsan sat up slowly. He coughed and cleared his throat. “I am fine.” He eyed the group of law enforcement officers, taking each of them in quickly. 

Zari and Hawkins stepped back and trained their gas weapons on him. “I wouldn’t move, if I were you,” Zari said firmly.

“We have some questions,” Chase said briskly. He bent down to look Shadowsan in the eye. “You and a large green-haired woman kidnapped me, a year ago. Why?”

Shadowsan paused, and for a moment seemed like he wasn’t going to answer. He stared at the Frenchman intently, his dark eyes impassive. But then, he bowed his head and spoke. “At the time, I worked for VILE. It was our mission to discover the meaning of ACME. I am sorry for what we did to you. I needed to maintain my cover so I could safely leave the organization.”

“Do you work with Carmen Sandiego now?” Julia asked. “Or rather, did you?”

The old man looked at her warily. “... I did. She is not the person you may think she is. It may sound hard to believe, but she has been brainwashed by VILE—”

“We know,” Chase interrupted. “Monsieur Calloway has filled us in about all of that. We… almost got her back, with this.” He looked a little sadly at the white ring in his hands.

Shadowsan glanced at the device, then looked around at his captors. “It goes against my better judgement, but... I believe we could work together to bring Carmen back to who she was before. Perhaps with our combined knowledge, we might stand a chance of taking down VILE once and for all.”

Chief glanced at Zari, then Julia, then Chase in turn— the three agents who had come into the most contact with Carmen Sandiego. “How do we know you won’t run off on us? We don’t even know your name.”

“I go by Shadowsan,” he said. “And if I had wished to run away, I would have done so already.” At that moment, his handcuffs fell with a clank on the concrete, and he raised his hands in surrender. “If Carmen wishes to remain hidden, it may be very difficult to draw her out again. At this point, I have every reason to desire your assistance, as much as you should desire mine.”

Chief didn’t look impressed. “Alright, Shadowsan. Where do you propose we begin?”

* * *

Carmen walked lightly across red-tinted shingles, and perched at the peak of the roof. She closed her eyes and took a slow breath. Okay. Time to sort out whatever the  _ hell _ was going on with her memories.

She turned her face into the wind, letting it blow her hair back, and focused on the mental image of Poitiers. The one that didn’t hurt. She’d been on a roof just like this, surveying the city. She’d wanted to sightsee… but the voice in her earpiece had pointed her back toward her mission.

...The voice in her earpiece. She knew that voice— somewhere in her childhood, she’d heard it. She looked down at the matryoshka doll in her hand, rolling it between her thumb and fingers.

Then it hit her. Of course! The phone she’d stolen— hidden in the matryoshka— the white hat hacker, from her school days! Her old friend! She fumbled for her own cell. What had his number been? She could barely remember it, but her fingers almost typed it for her.  _ I hope he still has the same number, or this could be a very awkward conversation... _

It rang twice, and then Carmen heard the click of someone on the other end picking up.

“Um… hello?” The voice on the other end was cautious and uncertain— and though it had deepened a few tones from what she remembered, it was undeniably the same voice.

“I—” Carmen wasn’t sure what to say. “Are you— um, Player?”  _ Does he still use that codename? _ she wondered to herself. “I don’t know if you remember me, but you once hacked into my, uh… school’s… network—”

“ _ Carmen? _ ” She started at the enthusiasm of his greeting. “Is that you? Are you back?”

“I— I don’t know,” Carmen admitted. She stepped down on one side of the sloping roof and sat on the peak of the roof. She propped her free arm on her knee, and rested her forehead against her hand.

“What do you mean?” Player asked.

“I mean, I don’t know what you mean, exactly. It’s… it’s a really long story. And I don’t know if the story I know is even real. I just— I saw something, and I remembered talking to you. And it’s… I look back, and it’s like I forgot all about you out of nowhere, but that doesn’t seem right. You— you were my best friend, back then. Why would I forget you?”

There was silence for a moment.

“That’s not what happened, though,” Player said slowly. “We didn’t ever stop talking.”

Carmen looked up at the night sky. She could feel a lump growing in her throat. But she was all alone up here— no one could see her from the street, no one had followed her there. And it felt safe to talk to Player. 

“Can you tell me…” Carmen started, then suddenly couldn’t. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and tried again. “Can you tell me what  _ did _ happen?”

“Of course, Red. Anything you want to know.”

* * *

“VILE will notice if you record her arrest.” Shadowsan was speaking to Chief, as Tigress’s unconscious body was loaded into the back of one of the ACME vehicles. “She must remain out of the usual systems as long as possible. Eventually they will grow suspicious, but we can still buy time.”

“So they have eyes on the arrest records? That… makes sense,” Chief said with a note of disgust in her voice.

“Their power to remove prisoners has no doubt decreased greatly since Nigel Braithwaite was exposed,” Shadowsan replied. “But they are still wily and dangerous.”

“What about our  _ friend _ Calloway? He needs medical attention,” Zari interjected.

“I’m not so badly off,” Gray said. He was sitting on the front steps, slumped back against the wall; there were a pair of black marks on his front.

Chief looked at him skeptically. “You’re burned, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a concussion,” she said firmly. “We’ll get you help. Under an alias.”

At that moment, a white van rolled up the street and parked in front of the museum. Chase and Hawkins eyed it suspiciously.

“Are these the friends you called, Monsieur Shadowsan?” Chase asked.

Shadowsan smiled. “Yes, that would be them.”

Two figures, a young man and a young woman, each with flaming red hair, exited the van and jogged over to meet the knot of ACME agents.

“Shadowsan! Any sign of Carm?” asked the freckle-faced man.

“Not yet,” said Shadowsan. “But we have hopes. Zack, Ivy, this is the Chief of ACME, and her agents.”

Ivy gave Chief a wary look. “Yeah. We know.”

Chief looked mildly surprised, but brushed past the moment. “We’ll have time for proper introductions later. Now, if Sandiego were trying to run away, where would she go to feel safe? And what kind of route would she take?”

The other ACME agents gathered close to listen.

“She would choose rooftops over the street,” Shadowsan said. “That is how she was taught. When you search, you must remember to look up.”

“She takes trains a lot,” Ivy added. “If she was trying to get away, she’d probably go in one of those.”

“Unless she has a motorbike,” Zack interjected. “She’s not as good with cars as me, but she’s great on a bike. Remember that time in Dubai—”

Ivy elbowed him. “Focus, bro,” she muttered.

“Right. Sorry.”

“That’s good intel,” Chief said with a nod. Zack stood up straight again. “We’ll keep an ear to the ground for motorbike thefts or speeding incidents. Hawkins, get eyes on the nearest train stations. Devineaux, Argent, get patrolling. I’ll let the local uniforms know to keep an eye on the rooftops. Crawford, Zari, keep our newest guest asleep, and get Calloway to a hospital.” The agents nodded and dispersed at once.

Chief turned to the other three. “I assume you have your own way of doing things, but I would appreciate extra eyes in the streets. Take this pen and call me if you find anything, please. I’ll call you if we find her first.”

Shadowsan nodded. “Thank you.”

“No, thank  _ you _ ,” Chief said gravely. “It’s about time we started collaborating, not competing.” With that, she vanished. 

Ivy picked up the pen and tucked it into her pocket. 

“We should call Player and fill him in,” Shadowsan said.

Zack shook his head. “We tried him in the car, but it said the line was busy. I’m not sure what he’s doing right now.”

Shadowsan’s brow furrowed. “That is most unusual. You must try him again— but let us get moving first. I will take the roofs. You two go in the van. Call me if the Chief tells you anything.”

Before Zack or Ivy could get another word in edgewise, Shadowsan was off and halfway up a wall. The siblings looked at each other for a moment.

“C’mon,” Ivy said, and Zack followed her back to the van.

* * *

Shadowsan was still fit and strong, but even he could not spend hours of the night traversing the rooftops of an unfamiliar city without feeling the strain. His still-drying clothes clung to him and chafed; his cold joints complained at the exercise. He refused to stop, however. Something had changed in Carmen’s eyes, he knew it. He had seen the look of recognition, before she’d fled with the doll. He had to find her, somehow.

He kept doubling back, pausing at junctures, looking for the slightest sign of movement anywhere. His left leg— his most recent broken bone— twinged. He felt as if he’d only just gotten back on two feet; he prayed he would not have to fight Carmen again, especially not at this height—

_ No. I must not think that way. I will find her, and I will talk her down somehow, _ he insisted to himself.  _ She is still in there. _

The sky had begun to lighten from deep navy to indigo when, at long last, he saw her. Perched on a red roof, where she nearly blended in, but for her long dark hair. He raced toward her, and landed on her roof with a faint  _ thump _ . He froze, watching to see if she would flee.

Carmen half-turned her face towards him; the wind blew her long hair all around her shoulders, hiding her expression. “Shadowsan?” she asked. Her voice sounded slightly hoarse.

Shadowsan straightened up slowly. “Yes, it is me,” he said, watching her closely.

She turned her head away from him, looking back toward the horizon. “It’s okay,” she said. “I… I remember a bit more. It’s starting to come back.” She held up her phone. “I’ve been talking with Player.”

Relief broke over the ninja, like a tidal wave. He slowly moved up to the peak of the roof and sat with her. “Will you return with me, to the others?” he asked.

Carmen looked down at her hands. Shadowsan followed her gaze, and saw the matryoshka doll couched between her fingers. She sat silent for a long moment. “I don’t know,” she said eventually. “I— I know what the truth is, I guess. But there are still big gaps— I know I don’t remember everything that happened.”

“They can help you, you know. That is all they came here to do,” he said gently.

She looked up at him. “Do they still want to?” she asked. Shadowsan could hear the ache in her voice. “I hurt so many of them. I almost  _ killed _ Zack. I can’t make that up to him.”

He laid a hand on her shoulder. “You were not yourself. They all know that. They—  _ we _ came here for  _ you, _ not the person VILE made you to be. You inspired us, helped us, many times over in the past. Let us return the favor.”

Carmen managed a smile, but uncontrolled tears welled up in her eyes all the same. Shadowsan pulled her gently into a hug.

Bright red-orange light painted sky as the edge of the sun crept up over the horizon. Slowly, Carmen pulled herself together.

“We should head back. It’s a long walk,” Carmen mumbled.

Shadowsan gave her a half-smile. “I think I can arrange a ride.”

* * *

Carmen still looked anxious when Zack and Ivy arrived— but within seconds of them getting out of the van, she found herself overwhelmed in a tight embrace. She could feel the lump in her throat rising again.  _ I have the best crew I could ever ask for, _ she thought, as she was ushered into the back seat.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Carm?” Ivy asked. Her face bobbed between the two front seats, where she’d twisted around to look at Carmen.

Carmen smiled. “A little bruised and sore, but nothing that won’t fade in a day or two.”

“How about us? Do you remember who we are?” Zack questioned, not taking his eyes off the road.

Carmen’s smile lessened somewhat. “Of course I do. You’re my crew, Zack and Ivy. My driver and the muscles.”

“Do you remember how we met?” Zack seemed almost scared of the answer.

“I…” Carmen hesitated. “It was in Boston, Massachusetts. I think we met while casing a donut shop?”

There was a beat of silence.

“I’m sorry. Not everything’s coming back to me yet.” She looked down. Shadowsan placed a hand on her shoulder.

“That’s okay, Carm, it will,” Ivy said reassuringly. 

In almost no time at all, they pulled back up outside the museum, where the ACME agents had mostly reassembled.

Carmen followed Shadowsan out of the van, but hesitated to join the group of agents. This time, it was Ivy who put a reassuring arm around her shoulders.

“Don’t worry. They’re gonna be so happy to see you,” the redhead said.

“Thanks, Ivy,” Carmen said. She took a breath, and walked forward with her friends.

Chief’s hologram spotted their approach first, and the rest turned to look. Carmen couldn’t fail to notice the expressions of surprise and trepidation on some of their faces; but Julia and Chase were smiling at her. Carmen almost mustered a smile in return.

“Miss Sandiego!” Julia greeted her first. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine— thank you, Jules. I’m sorry for what I did to you earlier.” Carmen looked between her and Chase. “Both of you.”

“Nonsense,” Chase said airily. “You were not yourself. I have had worse.”

“It’s good to have you back, Sandiego.” For the first time in Carmen’s memory, Chief looked genuinely happy to see her. “You have some good friends right there.”

“It’s good to be back,” Carmen responded. “Making my  _ own _ choices again.”

“But that still leaves the matter of VILE,” Chief said. “I have the manpower to take them down, but we have no idea where they are.”

Carmen gave her a crooked smile. “I can lead you right to them.”

“We must act quickly,” Shadowsan said. “Surely they will notice something is off soon.”

Carmen tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I should be able to buy us some time, actually. I just need a quiet space to make a call.”


End file.
